Guide rail for rollers, wheels, and the like



April 27j 1937; v yEE. `Rousl` 2,078,311

GUIDE RAIL FOR RLLERS, `WHEELS, A ND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 6, 19.36 2 Sheets-Sheet 1` IHVENTOR ERNEST E. lROUSE ATTORNEYS April 27, 1937. E. EfRousE GUIDE RAIL FOR ROLLERS, WHEELS, AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 6, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOH ERNEST E.

HOUSE ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 27, 1937 UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE GUIDE RAIL FOR ROLLERS, WHEELS, AND THE LIKE Application August 6 1936, Serial N0. 94,667

In Great Britain March 6, 1935 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in guide rails for rollers, wheels and the like and whilst primarily intended for floor insertion for the Wheels or rollers of sliding and folding doors, is

5 not limited to such application in any way.

It has been customary when providing guide rails for mobile objects fitted with wheels, rollers skids or the like to provide a sunk channel, groove or kindred track within or upon which the wheels l0 or rollers traverse and the direction of movement of the mobile object is thereby controlled. If such guide rails or tracks be sunk in the oor, they inevitably become choked with debris necessitating constant clearing, or if such precaution be omitted then jamming takes place or the mechanism ceases to function. Even, however, if the sunk guide track be clean the passage of the wheels or rollers creates noise.

The object of the present invention is to overcome these diiiiculties, and provide a guide rail which whilst fulfilling all the normal requirements of its purpose is constructed to provide a member ush with the iioor or wall and which is also noiseless in operation.

The invention consists in a guide rail or track for wheels, rollers and the like having a deformable resilient or elastic member acting as a cover interposed between said track and the mobile wheel or roller, and is embodied by providing a guide rail having a base appropriately formed to accommodate the traversing member ttedwith a resilient cover, the said cover tending to conform with the track upon the passage of the traversing member.

In carrying the invention into effect and according to one convenient method of construction, reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Fig. 1 is a perspective part sectional elevation.

Fig. 2 shows an alternative form of construction.

Fig. 3 shows the operation of the device on passage of a traversing member.

Fig. 4 shows a further form of alternative construction, and

Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views of another modification.

Referring to the drawings l is the guide rail or track, which may be formed from any convenient material. In Fig. 1 this material is shown in wood such as creosoted oak or elm. In Fig. 2 the material of the track is in metal such as steel or hard brass, whilst in Fig. 3 the guide rail or track is shown as a moulded inset in a concrete iioor. 55 The contour of the track should be appropriate for the requirements of the traversing member.

Referring to Fig. 1 the track is covered with a resilient member or plate 2, formed from rubber, rubber compound or kindred material or construction that will yield to the traversing member and return to its normal iiat condition. This resilient cover 2 is secured in position by removable cramping plates 3 screwed to the fabric of the guide track below, the screws in the majority of cases passing through the substance of the 10 resilient member in order to lock the latter more securely in position. r

In Fig. 2 the guide rail or track I is formed as a rolling or stamping from sheet metal, which is applied to the floor or wall as an insert, the 15 cramping screws 4 being threaded into the substance of the plate which may be thickened around the screwed sockets as shown at 4a in any known manner.

In Fig. 3 the device is shown in operation as guiding the foot track wheels of a sliding door. In this view the door 5 is iitted with wheels 6 which engage the resilient cover 2 and cause it to conform with the track below on passage, the said cover returning to its normal position after such passage.

'Ihe form of construction shown in Fig. 4 is intended for application to concrete flooring and in this instance the cramping members or plates 3 are dispensed with and the resilient cover 2 held in position lush with the surrounding floor 8 by the screws 4, the under sides of whose heads bear upon metal eyelets 9 provided in the fabric of the cover 2, the said screws engaging threaded ragbolts, sockets or the like 1.

In Figs. 5 and 6 an alternative method of securing the resilient member 2 in position is shown. 'I'his arrangement consists in forming the resilient member of channel section the downwardly extending portions Ill of which are formed with inwardly directed headings H which are forced into position in correspondingly shaped grooves in the floor at each side of the guide rail or track l. In this way the resilient member is held securely against unintentional displacement without the use of screws.

In operation the passing member deflects the resilient cover 2 within the contour of the guide rail, so that the said passing member is guided by the said track. Its passage is noiseless and the cover presents no sensible friction for the passage of the engaging runner. Further no debris can enter the track though water may be flushed from end to end.

In wet situations where it is expedient to seal the track at each end, one or more grooves or the like may be provided along the face of the track to afford an air leak at back and front of a passing wheel or roller, thus obviating any ill effects arising from compression of the air in front and a fall of pressure behind the traversing member.

I claim:

1. In a guideway construction, a member having a substantially flat surface, said member also having an elongated groove therein opening into said surface and defining a guideway for a roller or the like, and a resilient deformable element bridging said groove and secured in place so as to lie in surface engagement with said member adjacent the edges of said groove, said element normally lying substantially flush with said surface but being sufciently flexible to be flexed into contact with the bottom of saidgroove in response to passage of said roller thereover along said groove.

2. The guideway construction described in claim 1, wherein said flexible element is so4 secured to said member as to bow outwardly beyond said surface of said member, so as to eject extraneous material from said groove when it is l disposed in normal un-flexed condition.

3. In a guideway construction, a member having a substantially plane surface, said member also having an elongated groove therein opening into said surface and defining a guideway for at least one supporting roller, said member also having a pair of longitudinal recesses disposed parallel to said groove, said groove lying between, and being considerably deeper than said recesses, and a resilient deformable element bridging said groove and having its side edges disposed in said recesses, and being secured therein, said element normally lying substantially flush withl said sur- 40 face but being sufficiently flexible to be flexed into contact with the bottom of said groove in response to passage of said roller thereover along said groove.

4. The guideway construction defined inclaim 3, wherein a clamping strip overlies each side of said element and forces the same into frictional contact with the bottoms of said recesses.

5. The guideway construction described in claim 3, wherein a clamping strip overlies each side edge of said element and forces them into frictional engagement with the bottoms of said recesses, the neighboring edges of said clamping strips being of tapered formation so as to form a tight joint with the upper surface of said element and prevent extraneous material from working therebetween.

6. 'I'he guideway construction described in claim 3, wherein the bottoms of said recesses merge with the side walls of said groove, and the depth of said recesses is equal to the thickness of said element, whereby all portions of the latter may lie substantially flush with said sur face.

7. In a guideway construction, a supporting structure having a substantially plane surface and presenting an outwardly facing groove whose side walls merge with said surface, a member disposed in said groove and having a guideway for a roller therein facing in the same direction as said groove, a resilient deformable element lying in surface engagement with said member and bridging the guideway therein, said element normally lying substantially flush with said surface but being sufficiently flexible to be flexed into contact with the bottom of said guideway in response to passage of a roller thereover along said guide- Way, the sides of said element being disposed between the side walls of said member and the side Walls of said groove and being frictionally gripped therebetween.

8. The guideway construction described in claim '7, wherein said groove is provided in a separate channel-shaped part, whereby the guideway construction may be assembled as a unitary whole in a recess in said supporting structure.

9. The guideway construction described in claim 7, wherein the edges of said flexible element are brought down and under said member so as to lie in the bottom of said groove.

10. The guideway construction described in claim 7, wherein the bottom and side walls of said guideway are so dimensioned that when said roller traverses the same said flexible element will substantially conform to and lie in surface engagement With the bottom and sides of said roller.

ERNEST EDWARD ROUSE. 

